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“He’s been missing for days. He’s not been well.”
“He came to my house. He stayed with me, and the police came and arrested him for the murder of my father. My father was murdered seven years ago, the night Eli was arrested for dealing drugs. He didn’t do it, Rhodes. Hecouldn’thave done it.” It came out in a flurry of panicked words as I tried to hug myself. Eli’s smell on his was hoodie my only comfort.
“Shit. Let me call Adon.” Rhodes made some phone calls, first to Adon, then to a friend who was a family lawyer.
“I will pay anything. I’ll pay his legal fees!” I screamed between wails as Rhodes was speaking with his lawyer friend. My money was in a savings account that Eli had set up for my tuition, but I didn’t care anymore. I’d pay whatever it cost to get him out and figure out my schooling after.
Within five minutes, the front door flew open, and Adon rushed in. His shoulders were up to his ears and his furrowed brow made him look like a bear on a rampage. Immediately spotting me, he ran over to me, clutching my shoulders in his large palms.
“What happened? Where’s my brother? Tell me everything.”
Now that both Griffin brothers surrounded me and were aware of the situation, some frantic panic eased inside of me as I slowly explained everything from the first letter Eli wrote to me to the break-ins and arrest that morning. Once I was finished, I took a deep breath. Adon pulled me in for a tight embrace, placing his chin on the top of my head. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine it was Eli holding me.
“Thank you for taking care of our brother,” he said, and his voice made his chest vibrate into my cheek. Lightly kissing the top of my head, he broke away and walked into the other room, holding his phone to his ear.
“He’s going to call our lawyer.” Rhodes gripped my hand and squeezed. “How are you, though? That is a lot to handle. I mean, I didn’t really think you two met in a bookstore, but wouldn’t have guessed it was through your father’s death.”
Swallowing a hard lump in the back of my throat, I managed to answer, “I just want him back home with me. I want to help.”
“I think you should stay in his apartment downstairs until you’re safe. I don’t want Davis coming back or whoever has been breaking into your house. Eli would want us to keep an eye on you. You’re family now, too.”
Tears clouded my vision all over again at his brother’s insistence. I’d wanted a family, and now I had one, but the problem was my man was missing from it and we wouldn’t be whole again until he was out. My heart warmed for the Griffin boys, for their care for me, always treating me like I was part of them and never making me feel too young or not right for their youngest brother. It soothed some part of the anxiety raging through my nerves.
“That’s a smart idea,” Adon said, returning from the living room. “Mr. Jensen is on his way to see Eli in holding.” He held out his phone to me. “Here, Essa. Give me your number. You need anything, day or night, both of us are here for you.”
I exchanged phone numbers with Eli’s brothers. Adon offered to take me to my place to grab some stuff to bring back, but Rhodes said he would because Adon needed to get to work.
On our way over to my house, I called Piper and brought her up to date on what happened, including Davis’s visit last night. She wanted to meet us at my house, but I told her I would meet her at the library in an hour when she got to work.
The front door was just barely standing from where the police had busted in. Rhodes surveyed the damage. “We can’t just leave it like this. Lemme call Tate. He’ll know how to fix this.”
While he contacted Tate, I packed a suitcase and a weekend bag, as well as my backpack. I didn’t know how long I would be staying in the apartment, but no longer felt safe in my own home. Not until Eli was back. By the time I was putting my bags in the car, Tate had arrived. Rhodes and he were surveying the damage when I came down the stairs.
Eddie was outside for his early morning watering and spotted me as I walked back toward the house when I dropped the bags off inside Rhodes’s car. “Hey, little lady. What happened here? Heard a big commotion about an hour ago.”
We stood in the driveway, and he pointed at where Rhodes and Tate were lifting the door up to replace it. “Um, the police busted in my door.”
“That lowlife boyfriend of yours back then?”
“He’s not a lowlife!” My face flushed with anger.
“Guess that’s a yes. Let me call my friend and get him out here to fix that window. He can help with the door, too. It’s on me.”
“What? No, I’ll call someone else—”
“It’s the least I could do. Being neighborly and all.” Eddie patted my shoulder, and I stepped away. This was an emergency, and my brain couldn’t eventhinkabout fixing the house right now. I’d take it and hope he wasn’t expecting me to owe him later. Otherwise, I would pay for the window.
“I’m going to be staying with my boyfriend’s family. Would you also mind keeping an eye on things around here?” Being away from my overly neighborly neighbor would be a relief.
“Of course. I always do.”
When we got back to Rhodes’s house, he gave me the keys to the downstairs apartment and told me to make it my own. I put away some toiletries in the bathroom and clothes in the dresser. Spotting a T-shirt, I held it to my nose and inhaled deeply. Gripping the soft fabric in a tight hug, tears came to my eyes, remembering our morning together.
“Hey.” I jumped, but it was just Rhodes. “Sorry. I need to head into work. Are you going to be okay here alone? If not, I could—”
“Yes. Thank you so much, Rhodes. For everything. I’m going to the library to talk with Piper more.”
Rhodes tilted his head and nodded at me. “We’ll get him back. Our lawyer gave us a criminal defense attorney’s number, so he’s going to take on the case for us. If you need anything at all, call me or Adon, okay?”
